Hi everybody, I’m struggling to find a college/type of college that would be best suited for me- any type of help is appreciated!
I’m currently a junior in high school, and identify as female
I have pretty strong stats and extracurriculars, but nothing too special- I don’t know if I would get into the big Ivies but my target schools are around the 20-40% acceptance rate
My biggest problem is that I am completely undecided in what I want to do- I would say I am pretty well rounded in all subjects and I’m looking for a college that can let me explore what I want to study, and offers strong departments in both humanities and STEM
I prefer smaller/middle-sized colleges, but I’m still open to larger research universities. I live in Western MA, so I’m looking for somewhere that’s not too far away, but I’m not absolutely crossing out CA schools or other schools that require a plane ride. I’m also a figure skater, and would like to continue the sport in college so I’m looking for a school that has an ice rink nearby- I don’t really care if it’s suburban or urban.
I’m not that socially outgoing, so any type of school that has a heavy party-scene or a large sorority culture isn’t that appealing to me. I also love having intellectual conversations, so I really hope the college I go to has a “quirky” student body.
Lastly, I’d really like a school that has a great financial aid program. My family income is around 175k which isn’t enough for a substantial amount of need-based aid so any schools with merit aid or loan-free programs would be especially appealing to me.
I’m considering liberal art schools like Amherst or Williams, but I also really like the core curriculum aspect of UChicago, and the friendly vibe I got from Duke.
Thank you all so much, again any help is very appreciated!!
With respect to college suggestions that meet your general criteria, look into Hamilton for its balanced, flexible curriculum, and consider Vassar for its often individualistic student body.
This resource will help you estimate costs for a range of colleges that might be suitable for you: https://myintuition.org/.
Seconding Hamilton — one of the oldest college ice rinks in the nation, intellectual atmosphere, and social life that is not dominated by fraternities and sororities.
First of all, it is as difficult to get into UChicago or Duke (single digit acceptance rates) as it is to any of the Ivies but Harvard and Yale (maybe Princeton), and LACS like Amherst and Williams are not much easier. Since you wrote that you are looking at the 20%-40% acceptance rates, neither Amherst nor Williams is there - their acceptance rates are in the lower teens.
These two things are incompatible. Schools like Amherst, Williams, UChicago, have very little merit support - they focus on need-based financial aid.
The thing is that colleges offer merit funding in order to attract academically accomplished students to apply there. Colleges like those on your list don’t need to do so - they are already rejecting more academically accomplished students than they are accepting.
if you are chasing merit funding, you need to start looking for colleges based on whether they have good merit scholarships, and then cull them based on whether they check the rest of your boxes.
Good luck - you are early in the process of college applications, and you are asking the right questions, and looking for the right things.
Agree with the comments about how to chase merit. Also, you may want to consider Bryn Mawr. There is a skating rink near Haverford College. BMC and Haverford are closely aligned, one mile apart, have a “blue bus” that travels between the schools frequently, share curriculum, facilities, etc. BMC is “quirky” to use your term and intellectual, as is Haverford, while Haverford has the parties. You can choose to go there for parties if you like. Also BMC offers merit aid. You can also take classes at UPenn and Swarthmore. another resources that you may want to consider is College Navigator. If you click on the “net cost” tab for any school you can see what it costs on average for your income level. That will help you narrow things down.
Everything you say speaks going to a Lac. I would spend more time on fit and culture then on acceptance rate. Don’t rule out great lacs just because their outside of your range.
As @MWolf pointed out, merit $ comes for stats. Get a clear budget from your parents, then shortlist schools that give merit, have skating and where your stats put you well inside the top 25% of admitted students- top 10% even better. Budget will shape your choices- but you will still have lots of them!
Regarding the range of colleges the OP could consider, it seems she would prefer merit scholarship recognition, but wouldn’t necessarily be limited by it as she screens potential choices:
@Mysterycandy Start a new thread with that question. This thread is for OP’s question.
OP–Adding to @momofsenior1 's list, you may want to look (for merit) at:
-Muhlenberg–generally a happy school that people who like BMC also seem to like; arty students.
-Mt. Holyoke
-Smith (both MHC and Smith are of the same consortium and offer merit)
Wellesley – offers merit and professes to make sure (financially) that if they accept you, you can go there.
-Knox in Illinois–has great English department, like really good, and quirky fun students
Beloit–attracts quirky fun students
Earlham – I personally love this school–great egalitarian values, 800 acre campus
Oberlin maybe-- not sure if it has merit but it has the arty quirky part that you might like
Dickinson
Wheaton in Massachusetts – you’d get lots of merit there
Southwestern University just outside of Austin – gorgeous campus, great people–Austin! Offers lots of merit usually.
St. John’s of Annapolis – great books program, attracts really smart quirky students, gorgeous campus, lots of merit and you explore different disciplines
Wooster in Ohio
Drew in NJ – very arty, pretty campus, would give you loads of merit probably
